The Calgary Police are warning the public of a bank card scam involving a courier service.
They have received reports of people being targeted for their debit cards, which has already caused a combined loss of nearly $60,000.
In numerous instances, the victim will receive a call from the scammer, who claims to be an employee from the victim's bank or financial institution.
At that point, the scammer will tell the victim their debit card has been compromised, and in order to remedy the issue in a timely manner, the scammer offers to send over a courier to pick up the old card, all on behalf of the bank, along with a promise that a new debit card would arrive a few days later.
After the victim provides their address, a courier or delivery driver will arrive and collect the debit card, and the victim is often asked for the card's PIN.
Once the scammers have the PIN, the card will be used to access the victim's funds by either withdrawing a large amount of money or purchasing items using the card.
When victims receive calls from the scammer, it's from a number that appears as though it is coming from the bank, but in reality, the calls are not originating from the bank.
If anyone receives these types of calls, the police advise people to hang up and not engage with the person on the phone, and if you are concerned about your bank accounts being compromised, phone the bank on a verified number, connect with them through their app, or simply visit them in-person.
The police also advise people to never let anyone send a courier to pick up bank cards.
"We have identified this scam occurring in Calgary, but we know from being in touch with other law enforcement agencies, that this ongoing fraud trend is happening in several areas of the country," explained the Acting Staff Sgt. Simon Ross of the Calgary Police Service Economic Crimes Unit in a media release. "These calls can seem very real to the unsuspecting victims, so we are taking this opportunity to warn Calgarians that this is not a typical bank process and to have a heightened sense of awareness when answering calls from banks and financial institutions as someone may be impersonating an employee."
Anyone who has been a victim of this scam or if anyone has had their personal information compromised because of fraud can report it to the police or Crime Stoppers.